1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a related-art mounting technique of components employed in a camera, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, sensor units such as an AF sensor 2 have, in some cases, heretofore been mounted directly on a substrate 4.
In this example, the AF sensor 2 is disposed in such a manner that a sensor array including arranged pixels for light receiving elements (not shown) is disposed opposite to a subject as a ranging object. Moreover, in order to form a subject image, two light receiving lenses 2a, 2b in front of the sensor array are disposed apart from the sensor array by a focal distance f. When a predetermined parallax (distance interval) is given to these light receiving lenses 2a, 2b, a subject distance is obtained by a known “principle of triangular ranging” in a constitution.
The accuracy of the AF sensor is sometimes deteriorated by ambient environments such as temperature, and it has been necessary to devise various features in an implementation method.
For example, in Jpn. Pat. Appin. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-5061, a technique is disclosed comprising: disposing insulation means between a strobe device and AF sensor to prevent ranging accuracy from being deteriorated by heat generated by the strobe device is disclosed.
On the other hand, in recent years, a sensor has been developed which has variously been improved and which includes a new structure. For example, in a structure shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a part of the AF sensor 2 is sealed by a gelled material 6. Vent holes 8a, 8b are formed in the AF sensor in order to prevent an error from being superimposed on breakage of the sensor itself or a sensor output, even when the gelled material expands/contracts by a change of temperature or air pressure (details are described later).
Moreover, when a hard (print) substrate is held or superimposed on the FPC substrate, both multilayer and bend are realized, and connector-less and three-dimensional arrangement of the substrate is possible. A so-called “rigid flexible substrate” is brought in practical use. Furthermore, a technique has been brought in the practical use, comprising: using a flip chip bonding process to mount semiconductor elements (hereinafter referred to as bare chips) such as a CPU directly on the printed substrate; and enhancing a mounting density.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, rigid substrates 12 are held or superimposed on FPC substrates 10 to constitute rigid FPC substrates 14. Subsequently, a bare chip 16 is mounted (hereinafter referred to as the flip chip mounting) on the rigid substrate 12.
Furthermore, with miniaturization of an electronic apparatus, the miniaturization of an electric substrate including a built-in electric circuit has been advanced, and various connectors for electrically connecting the electric substrates to one another have been provided.
For example, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state at a time when an FPC substrate for connection is inserted into and connected to a related-art vertical-type connector for connecting the FPC substrate. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing appearance of a compact camera as one of electronic apparatuses to which the related-art vertical-type connector for connecting the FPC substrate shown in FIG. 5 is applied. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line C1—C1 of FIG. 6, showing the periphery of the vertical-type printed substrate connector in the camera of FIG. 6.
A related-art vertical-type connector for connecting the FPC substrate (hereinafter referred to as the FPC connector) 20 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted to be upright on a rigid substrate 22. A connection pattern is disposed in a tip-end connection portion in an FPC substrate for connection 24 inserted into and connected to the FPC connector 20. Furthermore, the tip-end connection portion includes a double structure including a reinforcing substrate 26 which prevents deformation at an insertion time and which secures a contact pressure between the connection pattern and connector-side connector terminal array.
When the FPC substrate 24 is connected to the FPC connector 20, the connection-pattern surface is inserted from a direction B1 (substrate vertical direction) crossing at right angles to an arrangement direction of the connector-side terminal array and brought into the connector-side terminal array. Thereafter, a fixing member 20a is pressed to fix the FPC substrate 24, and a connection state to connector-side connector terminals is obtained.
As shown in FIG. 6, in a camera 30 to which the related-art vertical-type FPC connector 20 is applied, a photography lens 34, flash light emitting window 36, and release operation button 38 are disposed in a camera front cover portion 32a. On the other hand, an LCD display portion 40, and mode setting switch buttons 42 are disposed in a camera back cover portion 32b. 
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the rigid substrate 22 is disposed under the mode setting switch buttons 42. Electronic members 44 and vertical-type FPC connector 20 are mounted on the mounting surface of the rigid substrate 22. The FPC connector 20 is connected to an FPC substrate for connection 46 for transmitting a control signal, a switch signal output for setting a photographing mode, and the like to a main substrate (not shown).
On the other hand, a related-art horizontal-type FPC connector 52 shown in FIG. 8 is mounted in parallel with the mounting surface of a rigid substrate 54. A connection pattern surface is also disposed in the tip-end connection portion of an FPC substrate for connection 56 which is inserted/connected into the FPC connector 52. Moreover, the tip-end connection portion includes a double structure to which a reinforcing substrate 58 is attached.
When the FPC substrate 56 is connected to the FPC connector 52, the substrate is pressed in from a direction B2 (substrate parallel direction) crossing at right angles to an arrangement direction of the connector terminal array, and brought in contact with the connection pattern surface. Thereafter, a fixing member 52a is pressed, fixed, and connected.
Furthermore, as well known, in recent years, sophistication of the camera has advanced with multiplication of functions. As a result, a mounted electric circuit is complicated. Also for a main condenser for emitting a flash light which is incorporated in the camera including a flash light emitting device, enlargement of a capacity has advanced so as to obtain a high-luminance flash light emitting device.
On the other hand, the miniaturization of a camera body housing in which the condenser for emitting the flash light is incorporated has advanced. However, with the advance of capacity enlargement of the condenser, a volume of the condenser has accordingly increased. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to mount a large-volume condenser in the miniaturized camera.
To solve the problem, for example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-225422, the following method of efficiently disposing the large-capacity condenser in the camera is disclosed. That is, two condensers are used, one condenser is disposed in a hollow portion in a spool for winding up a film, and the other condenser is disposed along a spool chamber wall. By this technique, the condenser which saves space and which has a large volume can be mounted.
Moreover, there are many relatively large components such as the condenser for the flash light emitting device and a transformer, which handle a high voltage. Therefore, it is difficult to dispose these components in a small-sized camera. It is also difficult to mount these components on the printed substrate in the camera. As a result, it has been difficult to miniaturize the camera including the flash light emitting device because of the above-described large-sized components.
To solve the difficulty, a technique of disposing the components of the above-described flash light emitting device in a spaced formed in accordance with a film chamber for containing the film is disclosed, for example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-160181.
Moreover, in recent years, the following type of a display portion for displaying a photographing mode or date of the camera has increased. That is, examples of this include a camera including a liquid crystal. panel, and a camera which reads film sensitivity information by an electrode pattern disposed in a cartridge portion of a film, so-called “DX code” to control exposure in accordance with the read information.
The liquid crystal panel is disposed on the upper surface of the camera in many cases. A contact for reading the DX code by the camera is disposed on a front-surface side in the camera in accordance with a position of a film cartridge in many cases. Therefore, to mount these components on the printed substrate, two printed substrates are prepared, and the printed substrates on which the liquid crystal panels are mounted are disposed on the upper-surface side in the camera. Moreover, the printed substrate on which the contact for reading the DX code is mounted is disposed on the front-surface side in the camera in many cases.
That is, to miniaturize the camera or to reduce the cost, the respective components of the camera need to be efficiently disposed on the two printed substrates. When the printed substrate is simply enlarged, the arrangement of the components is simplified, but the cost increases. On the other hand, when the printed substrate is simply miniaturized, the cost can be reduced, but it is difficult to efficiently arrange the components.
Particularly, the components relating to the flash light emitting device include many large-sized components. Since the components handle the high voltage, these easily become sources of noises. Therefore, it is important to more appropriately arrange the components relating to the flash light emitting device.
Furthermore, a camera including the condenser for the flash light emitting device is disclosed, for example, in Jap. Pat. No. 3218768. In the camera disclosed in this publication, two cameras for emitting the flash light are arranged at a predetermined interval in an internal space of the camera, and a charge capacity necessary for emitting the flash light is secured. Moreover, a hard electric circuit substrate on which a plurality of electric components are mounted is disposed and constituted in a space formed between two cameras, and thereby an internal space is effectively used. Furthermore, in this case, the electric circuit substrate is engaged with and fixed to another electric circuit substrate which is disposed on the upper-surface side of the camera.
Moreover, when electric components such as a motor including a lead as a connector terminal are mounted on the electric substrate, a groove-shaped terminal insertion hole for inserting the lead is sometimes disposed in the substrate. In this case, when the terminal insertion hole is formed in a circular arc shape, it is easily to position the connector terminal of the electric component with reference to the connection portion on the electric substrate. However, when a solder land is formed around the terminal insertion hole to solder the component, much time is required form the soldering. Therefore, a proposal for shortening the soldering time in forming the terminal insertion hole is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 1-230931.
The technique disclosed in the Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 1-230931 comprises: forming the groove-shaped terminal insertion hole for inserting the lead in the electric substrate; and dividing a solder pad disposed along the outer periphery of the terminal insertion hole into a plurality of regions at intervals for boundary slits. In each of these divided regions, the solder pad can be molted in a short time and with a small heat capacity. Therefore, the soldering operation can be ended in the short time, and a possibility of failure in solder connection can also be reduced.
Furthermore, in the electronic apparatus, there is a constitution in which an internal apparatus is contained/disposed in an apparatus housing, and a battery contained in a battery containing chamber disposed in the apparatus housing is used as a driving source to control the operation of the internal apparatus. In the electronic apparatus, a contact piece for a cathode for contacting the cathode of the battery, and a contact piece for an anode for contacting the anode of the battery are separately disposed in the battery containing chamber, and a power of the battery contained in the battery containing chamber is supplied to the internal apparatus via the contact piece for the cathode and the contact piece for the anode.
Additionally, a manufacturing method of the electronic apparatus comprises: preparing a large number of constituting components beforehand; and assembling the constituting components into the apparatus housing in order. Therefore, when the electronic apparatus is manufactured, it is very intricate to store/manage a large number of constituting components.
Especially, there is a battery contact piece as an object of the constituting component whose storage/management is intricate. For the battery contact piece, the contact piece for the cathode and the contact piece for the anode forming a pair are disposed in the battery containing chamber of the apparatus housing. Therefore, a very large number of contact pieces are disposed.
Accordingly, for the battery contact pieces, there is a possibility that the numbers of the contact piece for the cathode and the contact piece for the anode constituting the pair are not matched, and the storage/management is very intricate.
Furthermore, in a small-sized electric apparatus in which the FPC substrate is incorporated, if possible, a single FPC substrate is applied in order to reduce the connection of lead wires and to simplify the handling of the FPC substrate. When the FPC substrate is incorporated in an apparatus main body, it is necessary to shape and incorporate the FPC substrate in accordance with the shape of the apparatus main body. Therefore, the substrate is not easily incorporated. In some cases, there is fear that the FPC substrate is caught and broken by another member.
To solve the problem, for example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 54-93455, a proposal relating to a printed wiring board structure for mounting the small-sized electronic apparatus is described in which the FPC substrate is formed in a box shape and incorporated into the apparatus. In this related-art printed wiring board structure, the rigid substrate is attached to the FPC substrate, the rigid substrate and FPC substrate are simultaneously bent along a fold line disposed in the rigid substrate, and thereby the FPC substrate is shaped in a predetermined box shape. Since the FPC substrate shaped in the box shape and the rigid substrate are incorporated into the apparatus main body, there is no wobble of the FPC substrate at an assembly time, and it is easy to assemble to the substrate.